Lyra In Ivalice
by 123tyler
Summary: Lyra is 15 and living in a world that she feels she doesn't belong to, but after finding a Grimoire in her town's library, Lyra gets the chance to belong to a new world; The world of the Clan wars of Ivalice. My first story ever, please review x
1. chapter 1: Intro

Intro: The Grimoire

I have never really cared for beginnings. Even when I was younger, i'd always skip the first few pages of any book that I was reading, and would start at the second chapter, where things would usually pick up in pace. Beginnings are pointless, why bother worrying about the start of something when the middle and end are so much more exciting? To me, they represent everything I hate about life; boredom. Like my life at the moment, beginnings are the periods of time that happen before the action, before the the excitement and the real story unfolds. If it were up to me, they wouldn't even exist, and I would fast forward straight to the time were thing things weren't so dull. But unfortunately, it's not up to me, and they do exist.

This is were I am now; my beginning. And at 15, it's just as dull as everyone else's. Today is the final day of the school year, and I couldn't be happier because of it. I despise school, and the fact that I dont have to set eyes upon it for 3 months fills me with joy. Because it's the last day, the entire year is being forced to attend a school assembly, as it is every year, however the prospect of sitting in a stuffy auditorium for 2 hours while the principal rambles on about love and friendship doesn't exactly entice me, so I had decided to skip it.

Instead, I resolved to go shopping, and empty my mind of any of the grim thoughts of the previous academic year. The day was a pleasant one, and I dressed casually with nothing but a pair of blue jeans and sleeveless white top to carry me down. It was still about 11 o'clock and I was too tired to style my hair properly, so I left it down. I had been growing it for a while now, and it fell just past the pockets of my jeans in a dark brown curtain. Handbags irritate me and I can never be fussed to lug one around with me, so instead I just keep my cash in whatever pair of shoes I happen to be wearing that day.

I raced down the stairs of my house and leapt into the kitchen. I needed to be fast, real fast; there was a top on sale at a store in the centre of town and I wanted to be there when the store opened to make sure I could find one in my size. I didn't have time to make anything fancy to eat so I rummaged around in the refrigerator and found some left-over pizza from a few nights before.

_That'll have to do, _I thought to myself. I slammed to fridge door shut and continued looking for the rest of my stuff.

_Where are my keys!? _I ran back upstairs to my bedroom and found them under the bed , along with a pair of shoes with some cash in them, _yes! _

I was finished gathering my stuff, and I had just stepped out of the door when I remembered something.

_What day is it today? _I checked my cell phone and confirmed my fears, _Friday, damn! _

I had a library book that I'd taken out a couple of weeks ago that I still hadn't returned, and it was due in at 12 o'clock today.

_There's no way I can make it to the store opening without missing my library book deadline, and I cant afford to hand in another late book! _While still contemplating what choice I should make, I walked over to the kitchen counter to retrieve the book that had so suddenly, and rudely, interrupted my day.

The front page of the book read: _Great Expectations, By Charles Dickens_

I wrinkled my nose upon reading the title. Reading this particular novel had been one of the most unbearable moments of my high school education and had also been the catalyst in a growing hatred for classical British novelists. My english teacher was of course baffled to hear that I, who had a reputation as a bit of a book worm, hated what was supposed to be one of the greatest classical novels ever written, but I found his appreciation of the book far more concerning. This was the case with nearly all of my subjects at school, all the teachers always said the same thing; _you cant live in a dream world Lyra, things aren't always savages and swordplay!_

I of course ignored all of these comments, and continued to live in my own world of day dreams and fantasy novels, and planned to continue doing so.

_But I cant keep reading if I get banned from the library for forgetting to hand back books on time can I? _

I spent several minutes just standing on the same spot next to the kitchen counter,

_Book or top, book or top?_

tapping my left foot repeatedly,

_book or top, book or top?_

and reminding myself of the choice that I knew I didn't really have,

_book._

I snatched the book of the counter, spun around on my heal and stormed out the house with a loud slam of the door behind me, infuriated at my own forgetfulness.


	2. Chapter 2: The Grimoire

Chapter 2: The Grimoire

The Journey to the library was a short one, and I was soon standing outside the grand entrance of the great stone building. I glanced at my watch, it read 11:50.

_Perfect, _I said to myself, still angry at the missed opportunity,_ i'm just on time._

I shuffled into doorway that towered a good 20 feet above me, and walked over to the front desk.

I had been to the town's library ever since I was a little girl, and yet I couldn't help but be amazed by it every time I visited. The building must have been _at least _ hundreds of yeas old, while the interior would have to be slightly younger. A labyrinth of book shelves, columns and staircases, the library was both vast and endless. I had never been unable to find a book that I needed here and had never had a problem finding it either. Everything was kept in perfect order, with the more uninteresting genres, such as the classics, located at the bottom floor, and the more exciting ones, such as fantasy, on the very top.

"Hello," I said, "i'm here to return a book."

The librarian on duty was an elderly lady long, snow white hair that cascaded down her back. She had an odd, almost distant, air about her that perturbed most people, however after numerous visits the library, I started to find her unusual disposition more fascinating than strange.

I handed the book to her, which she received with her thin, pale hands.

"Ah, _Great Expectations," _she responded as if she knew the book well, " I wouldn't have thought this to be your preferred type of book?"

The question was normal enough, but the wry smile that appeared upon her asking it was anything but,

"It's not, I had to read it for a book report at school,"

She nodded in an acknowledging manner and continued to speak, while scanning the book and placing it in the returns box.

"If you ask me, there are far more interesting things for a smart girl like you to be reading."

On any other day I would have been interested to hear her recommendations, but today was different, and I didn't have the time. I began to scratch my head in an impatient manner. The librarian noticed this and realised that I was in a rush.

"Well, I wouldn't want to keep you to long, but..." she paused, and glanced fleetingly around the room, "but if you were ever to want some more challenging reading, I happen to know of a particularly wondrous book to read," and to this she raised her eyebrows and stared at me, intently.

"Honestly miss, I would love to but there's somewhere I really need to be right now and I really don't have the time, maybe tomorrow?" It felt rude to so blatantly decline her offer, but I had no other choice.

"It will only take a moment to get it dear, and while I usually influence children against this sort of thing, I can assure you that it is worth missing whatever commitments you have already made"

I was starting to feel uncomfortable. _Why is she so eager to get me to take out this book, what's so special about it anyway? _I decided that repeatedly refusing the librarians offer would take up more time than than simply complying with her request.

"Well, if it will only take a few minutes," I answered, already regretting the decision I was about to make, " I suppose I could take a look at it."

"Excellent!" she screamed, her eyes ablaze with a excitement. She then leapt of her chair and glided several meters behind her to back of her desk. Once there, she opened one of the draws and extracted a key from it. Her breathing was fast and uneven, as if she was gasping for air.

She fluttered back towards me, barely able to contain her elation, said, "follow me."

After opening the side door to her work are, the librarian set of on a fast paced dash to the back of the first floor of the library. I was surprised that a woman of her age (which I assumed was greater than about 65) was able to maintain such a speed, and I liked to think that this amazement was the main reason that I was unable to keep up with her. After passing what must have been dozens of rows of books, we finally reached the back of the library. We approached a large intricately carved door, made of a dark, glistening rosewood.

The librarian advanced towards the centre of the door and place the key within the lock . A large _clunk _sounded and as the door knob was turned, the great wood doors swung open, revealing an extravagant downwards-leading staircase.

"Come along," the librarian exclaimed, the fire in her eyes still unextinguished. I followed somewhat cautiously behind her as we descended down towards the depths of the library.

We soon reached another doorway, this one was far smaller than the previous one, although what it lacked in size it made up for in decoration. The door was mad entirely of what appeared to be solid silver. The frame was made of intertwining rivers of flowing water and lengths of coiling vines. The doors themselves depicted a great tree, towering over the others, in a vast forest.

"What is this" I asked, childishly

"It's called _adamantite,_" she replied, "but that's not important, its what's behind the door that is."

She pushed the doors forward forcefully, and entered the room, with me trailing behind her.

The room itself was the weirdest I had ever seen. To start with, it was circular, with white alabaster columns sporting a dome shaped roof. Also, there were five strange statues situated at different places along the side of the room. One of a boy holding an oversized great-sword skyward, to the left of that, a strange lizard stoop with open jaws, in the midst of a fearsome roar, to the left of that, a dog-like creature swamped in robes with long, spread out, ears held a staff aloft, and to the left of that, a small fury being with bat wings and a small ball supported by a wire from the top of its head.

The last statue was, to say the least, beautiful. It was of a young woman, no older than myself perhaps, holding two adamatite gilded knives in her long, slender hands. Her hair was thick and flowed heavily down to her ankles in undulating curls. From the top of her head protruded two rabbit ears about two feet in length. These ears were adorned with silver rings and loops at their tips. Her feet wore no shoes nor footwear of any kind, but they were structured in a way that meant the girl was constantly on her tip-toes. Unlike the other statues in the room, this one's clothing, (or rather _armour_) was not made of the same stone as the statue. Instead the rabbit-girl's attire was made of the same material as the doorway to the circular room, adamantite.

The librarian gave a sharp cough, breaking the trance I was in and returning my attention her.

"Sorry," I said, apologetically, "I got distracted."

"I dont blame you," she replied, "she's stunning." I nodded in agreement.

She strolled over to the centre of the room, which was raised on a circular dais of alabaster, and placed her hands on the lectern in its middle. From the lectern, she retrieved a large, brown, hardback folio. The front was covered in an intricate metal pattern which seemed to extend across the side of the cover in order to form a lock. The metal was silver in colour, much like all the other pieces of metal in the room.

She held the great tomb out towards me, "what is it?" I asked.

She flashed me a devious grin and said simply, "I think it would be best if you found that out for yourself."

I took it from her attempted to open it, without any success.

"How am I supposed to open it?" it felt like a silly question but my mind felt rather dazed at the moment and it was one that I needed to ask.

"You should probably wait for a time when you're not in such a hurry," I look up from the book to the librarians face with a quizzical look on my face.

_What on Earth is she talking about? _I then suddenly remember my shopping trip. _Shit! _I thought to myself.

"Oh no! Do you know what time it is?"

"Why of course," she said, and without even checking her watch, replied, "it's half past twelve dear."

_Damn! The shop opened 30 minutes ago, where had all the time gone? _

I set off in a jog towards the exit and turned around at the last second, all of a sudden remembering my manners,

"Sorry Miss, I forgot, don't you need to scan this?" I questioned, eager to be on my way.

"Don't worry about it, i'm sure you're trustworthy," she smiled sweetly while saying this, "now run along! You don't want to be late for whatever it is that you're doing."

"Thank you" I said, and with swish of my hair I was gone

* * *

The shopping trip went well and I managed to find the last top that I wanted, in my size. After arriving home at 5 and having my dinner at 6, I felt completely shattered and went straight to my room, dumping my shopping bags on the floor next to my bed. My limbs felt heavy and lethargic, and my head felt dizzy and jumbled. I had no idea why as I had done no exercise.

_I must be pretty unfit if i'm wiped out after a trip to the library and a quick shop._

While still lying on my bed, I reached towards my shopping bags and pulled out the folio that the librarian had given me. With my head propped up on a few pillows, I placed the book on my stomach and began to fiddle with the lock. Surprisingly, it clicked open with hardly any difficulty. I flipped open the front cover and looked at the first page, it had written on it in big, cursive letters, the word: _**Ivalice**_

_Ivalice? What the hell is that? _

I continued to look through the folio, paying close attention to everything. The first double spread had a picture of a strangely dressed man and woman, with the word _**Hume**_written next to them. I read on a little bit, and found nothing that I didn't know about humans already. Instead I flicked forward a few pages to the pictures of the two lizard like creatures standing next to each other. Next to the picture the word _**Bangaa**_was written_._

_Bangaa? Hey!they look like that statue I saw in the library today, I wonder if...?_

I moved past the pages with the dog/elephant creature which I found out was called a _**Nu**__**Mou**_and small mousey thing called a _**Moogle**_until I finally reached what I was looking for,

"_**Viera," **_I read onwards, into the night until I fell asleep.

_That night, with the book open,and lying on my bed, everything changed. Light erupted from the pages of the folio, and obliterated everything it touched . The walls, celling and floors all disappeared. I saw it hit the outside world and annihilate everything it touched until finally it touched me.I didn't even have the chance to scream, my lungs had vanished before I had the chance to. I tried to close my eyes but they were forced open by some unseen force. Everything was shifting, the world was warping before my eyes. The light was fading into darkness and as it departed, glimpses of what was left over became visible. Small flashes of cities, deserts and mountains. I reached out for these sights but I was now fading, just as the light around me was. The last thing I saw was a vision of a jungle before I completely faded away into the darkness._


	3. Chapter 3: Battle

Chapter 2: Battle

Light.

It was the firsts light hat registered in my mind. I felt it bearing down on me. I felt its warmth, its energy, seething through me. My eyelids flitted open and fell upon the clear blue sky that was held before me.

_Blue Sky? _It took several moments for it to hit me.

I bolted upright, straining my tense muscles. Now on my feet, I began to take in my surroundings while rubbing my sore shoulders.

_Where the hell am I? Am I in a jungle? Where did I fall asleep? _

The questions buzzing around my mind began to hurt my head.

_What happened to my house? Why am I so sore? Where is everyone?_

The pain increased, and I fell on one knee, cradling the left side of my skull.

"No," I whispered to myself in defiance. I stood up and shook my head.

_I need to figure out where I am. _I resumed my observation of the area.

I appeared to be in a clearing, a glade of some sort, and a large one at that. It was almost circular, and was about the same area as a football pitch. A wide, running stream flowed across the glade, trailing of into the trees that surrounding it.

_I need to get out of this place, maybe find a town or some people or something._

I realised as soon as the thought crossed my mind, however, that this would be impossible. Everywhere I looked, there were trees. Thick, impossibly tall trees. In fact, the above foliage was so dense that I was surprised there was even any sunlight at all in the area. But for some strange reason, there was, and I could see everything around me perfectly.

I walked slowly towards the nearest edge of the glade, still unsure of my ability to remain upright. Several meters in front of me stood two stone statues of two women, one either side of an opening to the fortress of trees that stood around me.

_Looks like there's a way out of here after all_, I smirked.

Walking closer towards the exit and found myself staring at the statues. Something was slightly off about them, but I couldn't put my finger on exactly what that was. I walked over the one on the left and raised my hand towards her cheek.

_Almost like real life._

I narrowed in on her eyes, which were made out of a different colour stone to her body, blue in fact, not unlike my own. Then my line of vision trailed across the woman's face, past her high arched eyebrows and smooth forehead, to the thick undulating hair that flowed smoothly from her roots, around her long, thin rabbit ears and down her back until it found its end at her ankles.

_Wait, what!? _My pupils darted back to the top of woman's head and remained there, transfixed by the pair of rabbit ears sprouting through the statue's hair.

"Viera_..." _I said to myself, " and theres two of them."

I suddenly felt something tugging at the back of my memory, trying to find its way back into my mind.

_Guardian Statues.........Abandoned Keep.........Centre of the Wood,_

The words surfaced in my mind and left it pulsing with energy.

_Think Lyra, where have I heard of Twin Guardian Statues? _

And then it came to me; "The Folio!" I announced to myself.

All of a sudden, the events of the day before flooded back to me all at once. The library, the librarian, the Folio and Ivalice, all of it.

_Thats it, that's where I am, in Ivalice! _The thought enthralled me, momentarily clearing my mind, but not for long, and barely a few seconds had passed before for the questions to started materializing.

_Ivalice, im in Ivalice? _The sheer insanity of the statement confounded me. _How can I be in Ivalice? How can it be real? And if it is real, how did I get here!?_

I spent a few minutes on the soft, moss covered floor wondering about my predicament, until finally, after i'd had enough.

_Stop it Lyra! This isn't important, surviving is. I need to find a way out of this place, to one of the towns. Ugh! But I can hardly remember anything from the Folio! What are some of towns I can go to, Cyril? Sprom? Musket? No it's pointless. What use is knowing the name of a town if I have no idea how to get there?_

The next quarter of an hour were spent pacing back and forth past the statues of the two Viera women.

_Okay, I know what I need to do. One, find out the name of this jungle. Maybe if I remember the name, I can start to remember some details about it, like how to get out. And Two, get my bearings. _

I wasn't quite sure about the second item on my agenda, but something about the Guardian Statues had reminded me about the forrest.

_The Abandoned Keep. I remember something about The Abandoned Keep. What does it have to do with the statues?_

I waited, and thought long and hard about the relationship between the two milestones.

_North! The Abandoned Keep is North of the Guardian Statues!_

I peered through the canopy above my head to find the light source of the jungle.

_Sunrise, _I thought, raising my right arm and pointing towards it. _The sun rises in the East and sets in the West. _As I said this I raised my left arm. _Which make this way, North. _I smiled to myself, proud at my mediocre orienteering skills.

_Now, to solve my other mystery. What is the name of this forrest?_

I advanced northwards to what I hoped was the location of the Keep.

_Think, think! What are the names of the jungles in Ivalice?_

I examined the other side of the clearing, and for some unknown reason, the absence of a keep did nothing to deter me from advancing onwards.

_Could I be in Nubswood? That would explain the oversized trees. No, that can't be right. This place is far to bright to be Nubswood._

I approached the river that bisected the glade and stopped at the edge. It was about 10 meters wide and the current didn't look all that strong, so I waded through it.

_Materiwood? Could I bee there? No, I would have heard some people mining for the Materite ore by now._

The water was cool and felt soothing to my aching body. The sun here was harsher than back home, but the water in the river made it almost bearable.

_Koringwood! This place is practically bursting with energy, I can feel it. _ I felt confident that Koringwood was the wood that I was in. _But wait, I don't remember anything about an Abandoned Keep in the Koringwood. No that can be it._

_Where am I?_

The floor of the woodland was covered in flowers, hundreds and hundreds. The extended all the way across the clearing and probably carpeted the entire forrest. I looked again at the end of the glade, to where I was heading, and this time, I saw something. A small glimmer, almost unnoticeable. I followed it dazedly.

_There are only 4 major woodlands in Ivalice. I defiantly know that im not in either Nubswood, Materiwood or Koringwood. So what does that leave? What is the fourth wood?_

The glimmer soon expanded into waves of pure, white light.

_The Keep. The key is the in the Keep. Only one jungle in Ivalice has a keep._

Matter started to shimmer into existence. It was slow at first, but it was definitely happening. A structure was materializing out of the air.

_The Silviawood? not it._

Stone began to solidify in front of me, and along with, flags, of a deep blue with the insignia of a crescent moon on them.

_The Sailkawood? No, but im getting closer,_

Finally, the peek of the watchtower formed at the top of the building. It was thin, and didn't leave much room for movement. On top of it stood a woman.

_The keep..._

She stood, white hair blowing in the breezes around the sides of her deep brown rabbit ears.

_The Statues..._

Her bow was slung over her back, with a quiver of silver arrows underneath it.

_The Glade..._

Her armour shone in the sunlight, and the sharp silver contrasted greatly with the Viera's tanned skin.

_I know where I am._

The Viera raised her great-bow, nocked an arrow, and held the weapon up to the level of her now squinted eyes.

I saw her aim the arrow at me and felt the air rush into my lungs.

A rustle of grass sounded behind me and the Viera drew back and loosed her arrow.

"The Salikawood..." was all that I could get out in time.

* * *

The arrow hit the animal behind me straight through the neck. It fell to the ground with a dull _thud, _it's small, dark face contorted in anger, a red cap lying next to it on the floor.

Silence fell upon the clearing, and I was able to do nothing but stare upwards at the girl that had saved me. She stared back with a desperate expression in her pale, almond eyes.

"Run!" she screamed at me, but I was to stunned to say or do anything.

I heard a laugh behind me across the river, and turned around to find its source.

Three women waited for me on the other side of the glade. All were thin, with wispy green hair that swayed in the suddenly forceful wind. All wore long, pure white dresses that seemed almost incorporeal. And behind them fluttered two pairs of iridescent, translucent wings. They were stunning.

They called to me, singing softly with their sweet voices, and I wanted nothing more than to follow them.

"STOP!" the Viera howled at me, but her voice was nothing but a distant distraction from the three impossibly beautiful creatures on the other side of the river. I didn't think that anything could keep me from them. Until they smiled.

Inside their mouths hung rows upon rows of sharp, pointy, white fangs. Their fingernails grew until they became long, lethal talons. Their wings began to beat at such speed that they became impossible to track, the only thing alluding to their existence being the low hum caused by their movement. Their movement towards me.

The Viera loosed several arrows, but the distance between her and her targets was too great for her to overcome, and the green haired women easily dodged them.

I suddenly awoke from my previous paralysis and became aware of the danger that I was now in. I turned my back on the flying women and ran towards The Keep as fast as I could possibly could. But it wasn't enough. I was still weak from earlier on and my sprint was practically pointless.

I decided that running was useless, and that i would have to try and fend off the flying women until someone came to help. I gave one last glance to the Viera girl behind me who was now leaping and bounding dow the side of The Keep wall towards me.

"Hold on! Just keep running towards The Keep!" her voice was strained and she made no effort to hide the desperation.

I registered what she was saying but I knew that it was futile to adhere by it. There was no way that I could get to the Viera in time to avoid the monsters behind me. No way.

_Come on Lyra, just hold out long enough for her to get to me._

I faced the women just in time to see the leader attack.

They were still on the other side of the river but were fast approaching it. They were flying in a close-knit formation, but a thrust of the wings by the centre attacker elevated her a good twenty feet above the other two. Then the darkness came.

The leader of the monsters, the one soaring twenty feet above the ground, came to a halt in the air. Her skin shimmered and her arms shook violently as they were thrown above her head. The clouds above turned from grey to vermilion as a great, fiery ball of earth parted them and began its plummet towards the Earth, and in turn, me.

The Viera, who was now at the base of the Keep, stopped in her tracks. She raised her great-bow, aimed, whispered an inaudible word, and shot an arrow straight at my attacker. While in the air, nothing was visible except for a flash of white light . The green haired woman fell from the sky, her wings slowly shattering as she fell, _two_ silver arrows buried in her chest.

But the archer wasn't fast enough, and the meteor had already been summoned.

I felt the energy flow through me as the enormous ball of flames hurtled towards my body. I felt the life that each new breath brought with it as I inhaled the jungle air. And I felt the power that became stored within my limbs as each millisecond passed.

And so I stood there and waited for it. Waiting for the moment to come when I was sure that I should move. I closed my eyes and waited for the heat around me to flare up. And it did.

The air became to hot to breath in, and it only took half a second for sweat to break out all over my body. The shadow from above increased in size unit it consumed my form. The sound of the falling rock filled my ears and I knew that it would be hear soon.

"Now," I whispered.

"NO!" the Viera shrieked.

The meteor hit the forrest floor with a crash, but just before it did, I left the very same spot. The energy surged outwards from within me and bursted skywards in rays of light. My body shivered with the energy and I flew forwards in a somersault, missing the meteor my inches.

I landed in river, twenty feet away, and surfaced several seconds after I entered. I was still amazed at what I had just done. I couldn't believe it, I felt, invincible. I hadn't even found it difficult! It was like a natural reaction, like a reflex that I never knew I possessed. And the best part was, it wasn't over.

The energy was still within me, the adrenalin still pumping. I knew that I had to release it, and I knew how I could do it, or at least, my body did.

I felt the water flowing through the river and took a deep breath, raising my arms as I did so. The red clouds expanded across the sky, traversing the entire wood, blackening to a dark grey as they did so. Heavy rain began to fall upon the glade.

I gazed up at my hands which we glowing a soft blue hue, illuminating the dim surroundings.

* * *

The Vieran archer now stood staring at the scene before her, the great-bow lying still on the soft moss covered ground, a single silver arrow grasped in her hand.

_How is she doing that? Where is she getting all that power from?_

The archers wonderings were cut short by the strange girl in the river.

As she slowly dropped her hands, the rain fell faster and harder than the archer had ever seen rain fall. And as the rain fell upon the two sprites, they too glowed with the same blue light as the hands of the girl in the river.

_Sliprain, but not as I have ever seen it before._

The sprites movements were now slow and lethargic, like they were swimming through gelatin. The girl in the river noticed this, and waited several seconds, breathing heavily.

Then, slowly and carefully, the girl drifted out of the water, and came to rest in the air five feet above the flowing river. Raising her arms to her side, the girl thrust them forward together, sending a huge bubble of water slamming into the sprites.

The sprites were grounded into the earth, pummelled into the centre of the crater created by the Sliprain bubble. Their bodies crushed into dust that soon dispersed.

The clouds departed as quickly as they came, and with their disappearance, came the Sun.

Water from the river gushed into the crater, filling it to the brim within seconds, and the body of the girl that had caused all of this sunk slowly into the newly formed lake soon after, floating gently on the surface.


End file.
